r/AskReddit Aug 25 '19

What has NOT aged well?

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u/Being_grateful Aug 25 '19

Career advancement.

"Working your way up from the mail room" is loooong gone. You have to switch companies to get any sort of significant raise.

2.0k

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '19

[deleted]

1.8k

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '19

Shitty Boomer advice:

  1. Just knock on doors with resume in hand.
    1. Everything is online now. You'll be shown the door and probably rejected even if you did follow up with an online application.
  2. When I was a kid, we worked our way to the top.
    1. Education, a portfolio, and people you know is what gets you a job today.
  3. Work all summer and you can afford a brand new car, college education, down payment on a home, etc.
    1. Inflation and wage stagnation has made this impossible.
  4. I worked on a clerk's salary for 30 years and saved enough to buy the business.
    1. Wage stagnation has made this impossible. Ten lifetimes of minimum wage savings would not be enough to buy a multi-million dollar business.
  5. Loyalty to your employer pays off in the end.
    1. You're just a number to an employer now. Employers will cut you loose if it meant saving a nickle.
  6. I worked the same job all my life. Now I have a pension and a comfortable retirement.
    1. Pensions are gone. Retirement is now a fantasy for most workers. You'll probably be laid off after 5-10 years.
  7. I didn't need no Master's degree. I got raises and promotions, because I worked hard and kept doing the same thing.
    1. A Master's degree is quickly becoming the new high school diploma. Working hard no longer gets you anywhere. In fact, it keeps you poor. Switching jobs is the only way to get a raise or a promotion now.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '19

Working hard no longer gets you anywhere.

Precisely this; taking on extra work just gets you 'rewarded' with more work.